


Flatline

by StormySeaWitch



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Never done one before so be kind, Oneshot, Soulmates, another soulmate au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-13
Updated: 2017-02-13
Packaged: 2018-09-24 00:58:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9692564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StormySeaWitch/pseuds/StormySeaWitch
Summary: Soulmate AU - Keith has watched his soulmate's heartbeat for most of his life. Then one day it stops beating.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Helloo  
> I've never written a Soulmate AU before so this is me testing the waters.  
> Any and all feedback is appreciated, and you can follow me on tumblr at stormy-seawitch  
> Thank you for reading!

Keith, like most others, had been born with a thin black line tattooed on the inside of his left wrist. As a child, growing up amongst other children without parents, he had often traced the slightly raised line with a finger and wondered who it was tied to. 

On his tenth birthday, he was delighted when the line moved for the first time. A flicker, dancing over his skin. The line took the gentle shape of a heartbeat, the sharp angles growing stronger as he got used to the idea. 

At seventeen, the ever present heartbeat of his unknown soulmate was just a happy, steady constant. Even though the tattoo never promised love, Keith knew that's what everyone wanted. Sure, your soulmate could be a friend, or even your own child, in rare cases. 

Girls stared wistfully at their heart lines, imagining being swept away by a handsome Prince Charming. 

Keith had actually seen it once - that beautiful moment when two soul mates meet. He'd been in a shopping centre, and an ear splitting screech had made the entire food court freeze. The girl had thrown herself into her soulmate’s arms, both of them crying with joy. The food court had burst into applause, and Keith had even joined in. 

He wasn't the type to daydream about meeting his soulmate, but he couldn't deny the thought crossed his mind every now and again. He wondered what it was like, knowing that this person meant so much to you that your very souls were connected. 

Keith stumbled through life, not unhappily, keeping an eye on his heart line. He sat in classes, took notes, hung out with friends. The heart line kept moving, showing the steady lub-dub of his soulmates heartbeat. 

Usually he ignored it, if he were honest. It was distracting, and coming back from a daydream was never easy for anyone. He was scratching out equations in silence, when a strange tingle spread through his fingers. 

Frowning, he flexed his hand to get rid of the pins and needles. His jacket sleeve rode up, and he caught sight of his heart line. 

'No,' he murmured, shaking his hand as if it could have done anything. 'No no no no,' 

The class was staring at him now, on his feet in the middle of the room. 

'Keith?' 

'My heart line just stopped... It stopped what does that mean?' Keith asked, panic rising. 

The teacher gave him a strange expression. All around him, people shifted uncomfortably, tracing their own heart lines. 

'Perhaps you should go see the counsellor?' 

Keith stormed through the halls and nearly ripped the door off the counsellor’s office. She tried to calm him down, offering him tea and water and tissues. 

'I don't think you're fully comprehending what's going on because my fucking soulmates heart just stopped!' Keith growled, holding out his wrist. 

'I know, this must be very stressful, but you need to calm down, we don't know exactly what's happened-' 

Keith cut her off with a strangled cry of relief as the heart line on his wrist flickered to life. It was weak, but he had never been more happy in his life. 

He felt a soft flutter of something against his mind, and his heart did a double backflip. 

_**Hello?** _

It was one of those things you could never really be prepared for. If you and your soulmate grew close enough, you would be connected in the mind as well as the heart and soul. Basic year nine health lesson, along with 'why is my body changing?' 

_You're okay..._ Keith thought, not sure if his soulmate could hear him but not really caring. He sank to his knees, clutching at his wrist. 

_**What...happened?** _

Keith accepted tea from the counsellor with shaking hands. 

_Your heart stopped... I saw it on my wrist I've been freaking out_

_**I feel sick...are you my conscience?** _

_No! I'm your Soulmate... My name's Keith_

_**Keith... Hi Keith** _

_Hi_

_**I can hear the ambulance** _

_Ambulance!?_

Keith watched his heart line flutter weakly. 

_**Sorry I worried you Keith. I won't jump off stuff anymore** _

Keith couldn't help but chuckle, despite the worry gnawing at his heart. His soulmate wasn't saying anything else, but the heart line was still beating so he was slowly calming down. 

'Everything okay?' the counsellor asked kindly, and Keith nodded. 

'They... they jumped off...something...there's an ambulance there now,' he said, running his hand through his hair. 

'Keith, I'm giving you an exemption for the rest of the day, go home and get some rest.' 

And so Keith found himself on his bed, eyes closed and desperately trying to bring back the connection. 

_**Keith is that you?**_

_Yeah, are you okay?_

_**They're taking me to St Johns hospital...they think, at the very least I'll need stitches...haha** _

_St Johns?_

_**Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm** _

Keith sat upright and did a quick Google search. St John's hospital was in the next city across, two hour trip with good traffic. He chewed his thumbnail while he deliberated his idea. The counsellor had excused him, what else was he going to do all day  
His feet carried him out to where his bike was parked. He sent a quick text to his brother, just to let him know what was going on. He jammed the helmet on his head, revved the engine, and then he was off. 

_I'm coming to the hospital_

_**You're WHAT?** _

_Um...yeah. Now I know that you're a danger to your own life I feel like I have to look after you_

_**That's kinda sweet? They're giving me stitches so I'll be here a while** _

_I'll see you soon? ___

Keith breathed deeply through his nose. He thought about that couple in the shopping centre and his heart sped up slightly. God, this is why he didn't daydream. 

What his meeting with his soulmate didn't live up to what he'd been told? Or what he'd seen? What if the other person just looked at him, disappointed? 

_**I won't be disappointed** _

Keith swore out loud at the sudden invasive thought, his bike swerving slightly. 

_Jesus Christ_

_**It's Lance McClain, actually, but you can call me Jesus if you want** _

_Have you heard everything?_

_**Nah, I'm getting glimpses. I'm waiting to get some kind of scan, I don't know. Are you in a convertible?** _

_No?_

_**This is gonna sound weird but I can feel the wind**_

_How hard did you hit your head?_

_**Hard enough to knock me out and scare you into thinking I was dead** _

Keith could hear the laughter in Lance's reply. He smiled into his helmet. 

_You mean this wasn't the super romantic meeting you had planned?_

_**What's more romantic than you storming in here to see my on my deathbed, when I literally have no pants on and this stupid hospital dress is made of tissue paper?** _

_Sounds pretty cute to me_

Keith was then aware of a hot burning trailing up his neck and creeping over his face. Hell, even his ears were red, but he knew this wasn't him. He'd made Lance _blush_. Oh, the idea made him grin smugly as he took the right exit. 

_Still with me?_

_**Nope, I'm dead. Floating above my body watching them cart my handsome arse down to the morgue. RIP Lance.** _

_My wrist is saying otherwise. Your heart is beating very fast_

_**Shut up and drive, Keith** _

The mind chatter went quiet for a while, and Keith once again let his mind wander. He listened to the directions his phone relayed through his headphones, and he just enjoyed the solitude of driving his bike through the city. 

St Johns Hospital was huge, Keith realised with dismay as he hooked his helmet to the back of the motorbike. 

_He hadn't thought this through at all. Oh god, what a moron._

Lance wasn't replying to any mind chatter, so Keith just plucked up his courage and walked into the reception. 

'Can I help you?' the receptionist asked, flashing him the biggest, most off putting smile he'd ever seen. 

'Yeah, I'm looking for Lance, um Lance McClain, he was brought in by an ambulance about two hours ago?' 

'Yes, I know the one... your relation to him, please?' 

'Uh, he's my soulmate,' Keith replied, feeling his face grow warm. Her smile widened. 

'Oh, wonderful, just sign in here please, he's on the third floor of the Grace building,' 

Keith thanked her and followed her directions until he was standing at the entrance to the Grace ward. The nurse at the desk told him room 328, and he felt his whole body go tingly as he made his way down the long corridor.  
328 was a single room, and Keith could hear that there was at least one person in the room, behind the curtain. 

'Uh, hello?' he called, gently pulling back the curtain. 

'You must be Keith?' asked the boy sitting in the hospital bed, flicking through TV channels. 

'Yeah, but you're not Lance,' 

'Nope. I'm Hunk, his best friend. And, I have to thank you for probably saving his life,' Hunk replied, holding out a hand. Keith shook it, frowning. 

'Saving his life?' 

'Yeah. Idiot jumped off the diving cliffs in the wrong spot, landed on the rocks. He's busted his shoulder, all scratched up and he's got a nasty cut on his head that needed stitches. They're giving him some sort of scan now but I think he'll be alright,' Hunk explained, while Keith shifted uncomfortably. 

'What did I do?' Keith asked. 'Besides freak out in the middle of Maths, obviously,' 

'You were apparently so worried that you opened up the mental connection between you, which brought him back to consciousness for long enough that we could get him onto the beach and do like, CPR and stuff while the ambulance came. Doc says he's lucky,' 

Keith didn't really have an answer for that, so he just picked a seat and watched Hunk flick through channels again. 

He'd never really been an openly emotional person, but when they wheeled Lance in, he found it hard to remain stoic. Despite being bruised and broken, Lance gave him a wide grin. 

'Hi Keith,' 

'Hi Lance,' 

'What? No hug?' Lance pouted, knowing he was in no condition to be dishing out or receiving hugs. Hunk helped his friend back onto the hospital bed, then excused himself so they could be alone. 

'Am I reading this right, or are you mentally transmitting your disappointment directly to my head-hole?' 

'Hunk told me you _jumped off a cliff_ ,' Keith growled, crossing his arms. 'You were _this close_ to dying,' 

Lance waved a hand like it was no big deal. 

'I'm fine. So I'm a little bruised-' 

'Literally sitting there with a useless arm because you broke your shoulder,' 

'-but I'll bounce back in no time! I'm a fast healer,' Lance protested, reaching for his bottle of water. He struggled with the cap, so Keith reached over and did it for him. Lance caught Keith's wrist and examined his own heartbeat on the heart line. 

'This is surreal,' he murmured, and Keith swallowed. 

'Yeah, just a bit.' He sat on the end of the bed, and took Lance's hand. 'You scared the shit out of me, man,' 

'And I am sorry for that bit,' Lance said, and Keith could see the sincerity in his beautiful blue eyes. 

'You mean you don't regret the whole thing?' 

'Nah, I mean breaking my shoulder isn't great, and my mum was this close to killing me but like, you're here?' 

Keith cracked a smile before he could stop it. 

'Yeah, I'm here,' 

Lance drifted off soon after that, exhausted from his ordeal. Keith sat in the chair beside him, their fingers entwined. He didn't move when Hunk came back. 

'He should be right to go home tomorrow. How about you? Will it take you long to get home?' 

'Bout two hours, but I'm thinking I might just... quit school and move up here, get a job, all that crap,' 

Hunk raised an eyebrow, but smiled. 

'You'd do that for him?' 

Keith stared fondly at the bruised and battered boy beside him. 

'I can't explain it but... I'd probably do anything for this idiot,' 

'Anything?' 

Lance squeezed his hand in his sleep, and Keith sighed pathetically. 

'Yeah, pretty much anything,' 


End file.
